eWeek.com has posted an interesting article that questions the viability of dedicated mobile devices. The article argues that, as devices of all sorts have more integrated functionality, gadgets that perform only one function (e-readers, video recorders and maybe even handheld game players) are an endangered species.
We tend to agree.
Software makers and hardware designers are figuring out ever-more elegant ways to cram sought-after features into a single device. This is evidenced by market share numbers from NPD which showed that smartphone market share grew to 28% of all U.S. handset shipments in the second quarter, up 47% from the second quarter of 2008.
Dedicated devices like Amazon’s Kindle could see a challenge by the eReader, which is available for the Blackberry, and the Kindle reader for the iPhone. Sure, the experience of reading a book on a three or four-inch screen may not be ideal, but you can bet it will be better on a netbook or smartbook.
Consider that the forthcoming crop of smartbooks will include location-based services via GPS technology. That said, remind me again why you’d need a dedicated GPS system?
Manufacturers of dedicated devices will have to innovate (big time) to convince buyers to shell out cash for a product whose functionality is being integrated elsewhere. Today’s best products do more, far more, than we could have imagined even five years ago, and at low prices.
Remember the Nokia 9000 Communicator? In 1996 Nokia introduced one of the world’s first smartphones to exploit the emerging market for wireless data communications. The device had a lot of functions but performed none particularly well, and it was priced between $800 and $1,200.
Technology is mirroring how we live our lives. We want what we want, when we want it, with as little fuss as possible. As long as the design, execution and performance of the integrated functionality is done well, multi-function devices will win the day.
As the eWeek article asks, when was the last time you purchased a gadget that did just one thing?
Lisa
